Mixing with Headphones?

Pj0915

New member
I'm getting a Behringer audio interface (The U-Phoria UMC204HD) to use with my guitar, for my instrumental music. Which consists of 2 guitar tracks, a bass, and programmed drums. I was wondering if I needed to use studio monitors with this interface, or could I just use my KRK studio headphones. My desk is in a corner, which would be bad for the quality of listening to music through monitors, and my room is too small to fit the desk anywhere else. So, Could i get away with just headphones? Also, can you use just headphones with this interface anyway?
 
Well, it depends. In my opinion, you could mix on your headphones but you'll have to keep a few things in mind. You have to know your headphones extremely well and you'll have to listen to your mixes in different places. Also headphones will tire your ears out a lot faster than monitors. So you could mix on your headphones but keep that stuff in mind.
 
This has been discussed numerous times here on the HR Forums.

Short answer? It can be done but it's not ideal. For all sorts of psychoacoustic reasons (you can Google lots of learned papers) your ears hear headphones differently from sound travelling in free air. The trick is to teach your ears/brain what you mix needs to sound like on the headphones to sound right on a variety of other playback systems. Make a test mix. Play it on you home sound system, in your car, on your iPhone, on your weird audiophile neighbour's system etc. etc. Make notes of what sounds good and what doesn't. If, for example, you decide your mix is bass heavy, do another test mix and play that on all those other systems. Eventually you'll become attuned to what things need to sound like on your phones.

Finally, just an FYI...you have to go through a similar process when you buy new monitor speakers. It just tends to be quicker and easier.
 
This has been discussed numerous times here on the HR Forums.

Short answer? It can be done but it's not ideal. For all sorts of psychoacoustic reasons (you can Google lots of learned papers) your ears hear headphones differently from sound travelling in free air. The trick is to teach your ears/brain what you mix needs to sound like on the headphones to sound right on a variety of other playback systems. Make a test mix. Play it on you home sound system, in your car, on your iPhone, on your weird audiophile neighbour's system etc. etc. Make notes of what sounds good and what doesn't. If, for example, you decide your mix is bass heavy, do another test mix and play that on all those other systems. Eventually you'll become attuned to what things need to sound like on your phones.

Finally, just an FYI...you have to go through a similar process when you buy new monitor speakers. It just tends to be quicker and easier.

Thank you, I will keep that in mind, I do want monitors, but my room isnt big enough to have them positioned correctly sooo yea, but thanks!
 
While I have speakers as well, I use headphones a lot at home. I use the Isone plugin to simulate listening to speakers. While its not perfect, it helps me avoid major differences when going through speakers. Instead of relying on one set of headphones, I constantly switch out when mixing to make sure its working on a vast majority of headphones. I obviously listen on real speakers as well. Usually the final check is my cheap PC speakers in my office. Make sure to use reference tracks that you are familiar with to give you a baseline of how the different headphones change the balance. If you and she the speaker emulation make sure to turn it off at times because some listeners are going to be headphone only.
 
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